Cannabis Industry Leaders WHO TO WATCH IN 2024 by Chynna Jasmine Pearson
In 2024, we are sure to see more growth within the cannabis industry, and just like with any industry we can look to leaders for news and inspiration. Here are some cannabis industry influencers and leading businesses to look to this coming year.
Chris Ball
Redman Redman may be one of the most well-known people on this list. If you don’t know, Redman, according to IMDB, is an “American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label, and group. He is well known for his collaborations with his close friend Method Man, as one-half of the rap duo Method Man & Redman”. He is currently one of the bigger names in cannabis and continually hosting or supporting cannabis events. He is a huge cannabis advocate. In the summer of last year, he and Methodman headlined the Ypsilanti, Michigan, Spark in the Park cannabisfriendly festival. Then in the fall, he and Methodman partnered with the firstever High Times Cannabis Cup in New Mexico. Most notably, he is a cofounder of the National ConsensUS/Cannabis Party, a political party meant to advocate for not only cannabis but all people too. The NCP website explains its stance this way: “The National ConsensUS Party is the only of its kind. We are the only All-Partisan, ConsensUS-based Presidential Electoral Party, sanctioned by the United States Federal Elections Commission (FEC), with "The People" registered as its Presidential Candidate. This allows for "The People" to participate in the development of the party structure at its core, and have the power to change politics from within.”
If you’re into sports, you have something in common with CEO and founder of Ball Family Farms, Chris Ball. After Ball graduated college, he practiced with the San Francisco 49ers then played professionally in the Canadian Football League. It was in Canada where he began to gain interest in medicinal cannabis. As of now, according to Leafly, “Ball Family Farms is the first vertically integrated and minority-owned commercial cannabis facility based in Los Angeles, California.” Last year, the Ball Family Farms brought actor, and creator of The Chi, Lena Waithe’s new cannabis brand, First Draft, to life. With a joint venture like that in the books, the future of Ball Family Farms looks bright.
thechronicmagazine.com
JANUARY 2024
04
